Chapter 123

Chapter 123
Silas’ POV 

I fell back from my stool, and my head hit the floor. Sam clambered around the kitchen table. 

“Silas, what the hell? Did you fall asleep?”

I frantically tried to make sense of what was around me. I had been pushed out of the bond. It took me a moment to realize why. Nate had lost consciousness. Tears filled my eyes. There was no way I was going to lose him, right? He couldn’t die.

“Silas! You’re freaking me out!”

“Sam, call Noah.”

He shook his head, a confused look on his face. “Why…?”

“Damn it, Sam. Call him. Now!”

Sam nodded as he spun around and grabbed his phone off the counter. I hear him dial the number and put it on speaker. Getting up, I touched the back of my head. No blood, but there would probably be a killer headache later on in the day. The phone went to voicemail.

“He’s not picking up.”

“Keep calling. Whatever you do, don’t stop calling.”

He nodded, and I pulled out my phone. I searched through my contacts but growled. 

“Do you have Finn’s number?”

Sam recited it to me, and I put my phone to my ear. Still listening to Sam’s phone ring, I paced as I waited for Finn to answer.

“Look, I don’t really have the time…”

“Finn! It’s Silas.”

The wind that I had been hearing stopped for a second. “Silas? Why are you calling?”

“Where are you? Are you near Noah and Nate?”

He growled. “Yes, and no. I’m closer than I was five minutes ago, but I’m heading back now.”

“Back? Where the hell did you go?”

“Don’t ask. It’s a story, and I’m too pissed to talk about it. Why? Do you know something?”

I looked back at Sam. He shook his head, and I ran my hands through my hair. Getting up, I forced myself not to pace, anchoring myself on a chair.

“Finn, Nate fell unconscious. I don’t…I can’t feel him. I can’t get him back through the bond.”

Suddenly, the wind picked up. There was no answer, and I figured the phone wasn’t even at his ear anymore. If he still had a way to go, then I wouldn’t know what was going on.

Sam was looking at me in terror as he redialed Noah’s phone faster. I looked up at the clock. It was as though time had slowed. When we hit the five-minute marker and Noah was still not answering, panic was setting in.

‘Calm yourself, Silas. We would feel his death. He’s not dead yet. Just calm down, take a breath.’

Eros spoke, but I could hear the edge in his tone. Closing my eyes, I took a couple of deep breaths. My eyes focused back on the clock.

It hit ten minutes, and not even deep breathing could shake my creeping fear. Then, Sam’s phone stopped ringing, and I turned on my heel. Holding the phone away from my ear, I took three steps closer to Sam.

“He’s okay, Silas. They’re all okay.”

Noah’s voice came over the phone, and I felt my knees give out. The emotions I was holding back exploded. I covered my mouth to stop the sobs, but I realized that through my tears I was laughing. Nate was okay. He was okay, and I just watched the birth of my three pups.

“I need to let Doc take a look, but later tonight, check the bond. I’ll let you sneak in to see them while he’s asleep.”

Sam was looking at me, and I just nodded to him, unable to speak.

“Thanks, Noah. Finn is coming your way. He told me he was pissed.”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I’ll head him off before he blows up. I need to go. Sam, we’ll need to catch up later.”

Sam smiled. “Sounds good.”

The phone line clicked, and Sam braced himself against the kitchen counter.

“Someone want to tell me what in god’s name just happened?”

Both Sam and I turned to see a very confused Charles, taking us both in. I dropped my hand, the grin on my face wide.

“I got to see the birth of my pups.”

His eyes went wide, and so did Sam’s.

“He pulled you through the link? But I thought…”

I shrugged. “Noah said that Nate wanted me there. Nate didn’t speak much; rather, he couldn’t speak much.” My mind whirled with everything I had just witnessed. “Nate’s ribs were broken? He was in so much pain, and when the last pup came, I got pushed out as he lost consciousness.”

Sam swore. “He gave birth with broken ribs? Goddess above.”

“So, he’s okay? Noah said he was okay?” Charles asked us.

“Apparently so. Their doctor had been twenty minutes away originally. It was just Noah and Nate in the bathroom.”

Sam shook his head and rubbed his face. “Shit. Poor Nate.”

“Two girls and a boy. I have two more daughters and a son.” I barked out a laugh, and Charles came over, rubbing my back between my shoulder blades.

“Congratulations, Silas.”

I smiled up at him, a real smile for the first time in a long time. 

\- 

I paced my room. Sam kicked me out of my office for today, saying I would get nothing done. He wasn’t wrong. I’d been staring at the page for a half an hour without reading a single word of it.

After that, I shifted and went for a long run around the pack territory. It was completely dark by the time I had walked back into the pack house. Mer has left out some food for me, and I ate about half before I showered.

Now, I checked the bond every so often to see if there was any change to the wall. As I paced my room, I stopped in front of the window. It took everything in me not to call Noah and see if he actually didn’t mean what he said. As my mind started to dive into that rabbit hole, the wall dropped.

Slipping my mind through the bond, I found myself back in the bedroom I had first seen Nate. Noah was leaning against the dresser, holding what looked like a necklace.

“I’m sure you’re here, Silas. I won’t be able to see you or hear you.” His voice was quiet. “Nate doesn’t know. He’s been asleep, but I’ll allow it this once. From then on, it’s up to Nate. I just know if it was Finn, I would have destroyed myself if I didn’t get to check he was okay.”

He had a serious face, and he crossed his arms over his chest. I walked around the side of the bed. Nate was under the blankets, but curled up on his right side. The twins blocked in the three little babies swaddled next to him. Our eldest girl even put her hand on the chest of the baby boy.

Even just looking at the babies, the two girls took after me, with tufts of black hair on their heads. But the little boy had Nate’s blonde hair. My heart surged as I sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at my family. A family I would never be a part of. They were my punishment, being so far away from helping.

One of the baby girls started to coo and shift. I leaned over and brushed her chubby cheeks. Immediately, she calmed back down. My lips curled up, and I wondered if they could actually feel me. They were all so beautiful, and I was so fucking proud of Nate.

“Alright Silas. I need to go back to Finn.”

I wanted to yell at him that a few minutes wasn’t enough. But then, I would never be satisfied, no matter how much time I got. Honestly, I could spend the rest of my life sitting here watching my family sleep. Even if it was all I could.

Leaning over Nate’s side, I pressed my lips to his temple. ‘I love you, Nate. I’m sorry and I’m so proud of you.’ My voice was barely a whisper.

Sitting back up, I moved as Noah stepped up and slipped a necklace over his head. With one last glance at Nate, I saw a tear escape from the corner of his eye. My eyes widened, and I reached out, but it was too late.

I stared back at the wall. Turning away, I didn’t bother trying to fight it. Now that I knew it was something that was magic-built. There would be no getting around it. Back in my room, I fell back on my bed. Sam had been right back when I first told him I linked with Nate. As much as I could wallow in the pain of not having them, what I could do was revel in the fact that I got a moment.

I got to see the miracle of my pups being born. To see my mate at his strongest. Then, getting confirmation he was okay. Seeing him sleeping peacefully, with my whole family together. Part of me wished I could have taken a photo, but the image of all six of them curled up together would forever be burned into my memory.

Smiling, I closed my eyes. There was a knock on my door, and it opened. Sam poked his head in.

“I just…want to check in. Check that no bookshelves were damaged.”

Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes. “No harm.”

“Did you get to see him?”

“Yeah, I did. All safe and sound. All six of them.”

Sam swore. “Six. Goddess.” He chuckled. “I’m starting to rethink Charles’ need for a huge family.”

I laughed. “Good luck telling him that. I think he said he was shooting for two a year? He said something about making up for lost time.”

Peering over at Sam, his face was ashen. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“Fuck me.”

Snorting, I sat up. “Oh, he will.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Well. I see that you’re fine now. I’m just gonna go.”

“Goodnight, Sam.”

“Night, Silas. Congratulations.”